Wake Me Up, I'm Only Dreaming
by digthatshizz
Summary: Anna's day is taking strange turn after strange turn...


**A/N- A short drabble I wrote on a lunch break this week. This is really out there but I had it written and thought what was the point of keeping it on my hard drive and not sharing it. It's something totally different but I hope you guys like it. **

**For M'Homey, thanks for the advice and for being all round awesome and amazing...**

**Disclaimer-** Anna and John Bates belong to Carnival/ITV/Julian Fellowes, all other characters their respective creators (it would take ages to list them...)

* * *

She wandered the deep green fields in complete confusion, wondering where in the world she was. With spare time so sparse whilst they stayed at Duneagle, Anna was trying to use as much of it as she could to explore the local countryside. She suddenly realised she was walking alongside the stream which, earlier on in their stay, she had sat beside with him. Her everything. Her John. Wandering towards the stream, she bent down, trying to ascertain if the ground was dry enough to sit upon. Deciding it was, she lowered herself, shifting a little until she was comfortable. It was so quiet, so peaceful. Her mind drifted to the events of that day, the picnic she had shared with her husband. Feeling like they were the only two people on Earth. Watching as he devoured the lunch she had prepared, a lock of his hair flailing in the breeze, coming loose upon his forehead. How lunch was soon forgotten once Anna could take no more of watching him lick his lips between bites of his food...

She was brought out of her silent reverie by an unfamiliar sound slowly getting nearer and nearer. Soon recognising it to be that of hooves, she turned to look over her shoulder to see a man on a horse. Anna couldn't believe her eyes, she was struck dumb. She furrowed her brow. It couldn't be, not with his leg. As the man and his horse came closer, the similarity was uncanny. The hair was wilder, the face was younger but Anna couldn't mistake it. The man looked exactly like John.

'John,' she gasped, her face full of confusion as the man leapt off the horse with such agility Anna knew it couldn't be her husband. John was agile enough, when it mattered of course, but he would never be able to jump off a horse in that manner.

'No miss,' the man smiled, shaking his head. His accent was delicious, Anna noted, watching as he settled the horse before walking towards where she was sitting.

Anna felt her heart flutter as the man sat on the grass a few inches from her. He was the spitting image of John, just younger. Maybe this was what John had looked like during the war, Anna wondered. The man sitting beside her was certainly not as well dressed as John, but that only endeared her to him. The top three buttons of his shirt were undone, chest hair, albeit perhaps softer than John's, protruded from where the shirt was open at his neck.

'My name is Manuel Mendoza,' he finally said, holding out his hand for Anna to shake.

'Manuel, that's very exotic.' Anna replied before taking a sharp breath. His hand felt exactly the same as John's as well. 'Spanish?'

'Aye, miss.' Manuel nodded before looking at the picnic. 'What's a beautiful girl like you doing around the likes of here? From one of the big houses, are you?'

'You could say that.' Anna straightened out her dress, Manuel's gaze on her beginning to render her quite insensible. 'I work at Downton Abbey.'

'Work? If you'll pardon me for saying you look awfully well dressed to be a servant,' Manuel remarked, meeting Anna's gaze with a smirk only one other man could ever come close to giving her. 'I have a master and all I can afford to wear are these old rags. I'll have to let him know how the other houses treat the help.'

With those words, he jumped up, looking to the sky giving Anna a rather pleasing view of his strong neck, the muscles contorting as he moved his head around in a circle.

'If you'll excuse me, I should be getting back. My master gets angry if I am late.' He bowed his head. 'Miss.'

'Goodbye Mr Mendoza,' Anna replied sweetly, transfixed as he mounted the horse, looking back over his shoulder with another grin before bounding off into the distance.

Well, that was bizarre.

Deciding it was probably time to move on herself, Lady Mary would require dressing soon enough, Anna walked across the bridge that ran over the stream. Confusion was becoming a familiar feeling as she came across a small village, one which she didn't recognise. She must have lost her way after exploring the grounds of the castle but couldn't remember anyone ever mentioning a village nearby. For all Anna knew, it was rolling hills and lush green fields for miles around.

It wasn't really a village, far too small. A hamlet perhaps. Maybe one of the locals would know the way back to the castle. Her attention was caught by a tapping to her left. Following the sound, she took in the sight of a tall, well built man chipping away at a piece of stone. Approaching him, she was taken completely aback as he turned around. What was happening? All the men she had encountered today looked exactly like her husband.

'Can I be of assistance?' The man asked in an accent Anna recognised to not be northern at all. Or Irish come to think of it. West country? Anna had never felt so flummoxed in all her life.

'John?' she wondered aloud, the man's face looking back at her a mixture of amusement and confusion.

'I think you have mistook me for someone else, miss,' the man replied. But it was John. The same face, albeit unshaven for a couple of days. His hair was shorter but it was John. Anna knew what her husband looked like. 'My name is Robert Timmins, Lark Rise stone mason.'

Anna took a moment to look at the stone the man was working on. It was exquisite, seeing the detail so carefully carved was enough to convince Anna this man could never be her husband. John was good with his hands, she knew from experience but he was too clumsy to create something such as what this man was sculpting before her, he didn't have the patience either.

'Are you sure you are quite well, miss?' Anna's eyes were back on the man once more, the expression he was wearing full of warmth and genuine concern for her well being.

'Yes, I'm sorry. You just remind me of someone, that's all.'

'This John?'

Smiling, Anna began to nod her head. 'Yes, he's my husband.'

'Well, if he looks like me he must be a good looking chap,' the man replied with a wink. 'If you don't mind, I should get back to work. This carving needs to be finished by the end of the week.'

'Of course.'

Taking a few steps back, Anna decided to walk under the bridge this time, suddenly remembering she had taken the same route herself earlier. Strolling across yet another field, she saw a figure in the distance, looking down at a wooden cross, holding a cap in his hands. She definitely hadn't seen that cross on the way to the stream. Curiosity getting the better of her, Anna trod the grass towards the man. This was just becoming peculiar now. The man turned to regard Anna, again the image of John. She knew John had relatives in Scotland, but this was ridiculous. His hair was shorter again, a few days old stubble covered his face but the rest of him was all John.

He had been crying, Anna could tell. She looked to the cross, the name 'Bessy Higgins' was carved into the wood.

'My daughter,' the man finally said. This time the man did have a northern accent, Lancashire Anna was certain. 'It's just not right. A father shouldn't outlive his daughter. It isn't the natural way of things.'

'God works in mysterious ways,' Anna murmured, not able to avert her eyes from the man. He even cried in the same way as John.

'Do you have children, miss?'

Starting slightly to have his gaze upon her, Anna began to slowly shake her head. 'No, I don't. My husband and I haven't been blessed in such a way as yet.'

'Well, when you are don't take anything for granted. Put them first whenever you can because you'll never know when the chance to do so will be taken away from you.'

'Those are wise words, Mr...'

'Higgins. Nicholas Higgins,' the man replied. 'You're not from these parts I take it.'

'No, I am from Yorkshire. I work in one of the houses there.'

'I work in the factories,' Nicholas looked to the smog in the distance, Anna not having noticed it before now. 'It's tough work but we finally have an employer who at least cares a little about working conditions.'

Anna couldn't imagine working for someone who didn't care about his employees. Lord Grantham had always been so gracious and concerned about the well being of his staff. Another reason why Anna thought herself so lucky to work in such a house as Downton.

'I should be getting back to work. Standing here talking won't put food on the table. Nicholas put his cap back on his head before doffing it to Anna. 'Good day, miss.'

Watching the man walk away, Anna realised she was really lost now. Since when had their been factories in the distance? She would be late to dress Lady Mary, no doubt resulting in a scolding once she finally did find her way back. But what if she didn't? What if she was stuck out here? Thoughts of having to shelter under the bridge, search parties, John worried about not being able to find her filled her mind. Making an executive decision to walk away from the bridge, Anna turned on her heel and began on a path which she hoped would lead her to where she so longed to be.

Having walked for ten minutes or so, her surroundings began to become familiar. The relief she felt was indescribable as she passed the gardeners shed. Anna knew she wasn't far away now. Just as the castle came into view in the distance, her ears pricked at the sound of a rustling in the shrubbery's she was passing. In the next moment, a man leapt from them. His outfit was out of the ordinary to say the least. A white coat, what looked like an undershirt was visible. Blue trousers. Blue shoes. Then she saw the man's face and she could have fainted there and then from the shock. A face exactly like John's looked back at her, except this time the man was wearing glasses, his hair all over the place.

'Excuse me, but did you vote for Barnser? I should be captain. It should be me.' The man was nothing short of manic. And who was this Barnser?

As soon as he had appeared, the man was gone again and suddenly something dawned on Anna. She kicked herself for not realising it sooner. She hadn't been at Duneagle that day. She had walked back from Downton on John's arm, the two of them laughing about Ivy's misadventures with Jimmy. She had gone to bed, fallen asleep in John's arms not two hours before. Anna was dreaming. Inwardly relieved as this realisation dawned on her, Anna observed something ahead of her she had never seen before. It was a vehicle of some sort, a van maybe sitting on the gravel outside the castle. Her curiosity once again besting her, she walked towards the vehicle.

'Gravy can do the barbecue. Yes, I'll go to the supermarket on the way home. Alright Jan. See you later. Bye.'

Anna admired the view as she watched the man digging around in the back of his van. Now she knew she was dreaming, Anna already knew what the man was going to look like. And he didn't disappoint. Standing up, obviously sensing Anna's presence he looked over his shoulder and smiled.

'Hello,' the man said. This was more like her John. The same hair, although a little more dishevelled. Cleanly shaven. She couldn't place ever seeing the clothing before but she knew that she liked it. The shirt was some sort of burgundy colour, the sleeves tight and tugging to his biceps. Much like John's undershirt did. She loved watching him undress for bed. Lost in her thoughts, she almost jumped as the man began to speak.

'Can I help you? If you are looking for that 1920's convention, it's all happening around the front of the castle. I've just been sorting the lighting for it all. My name's Terry, as you can tell from the van I'm a spark.'

Anna regarded the van, reading the print on the side.

**Starlings and Son. Electrical Contractors. Est 1955.**

It was only 1923. Furrowing her brow, although slightly impressed with her mind creating a scenario in the future, Anna turned her gaze back to Terry. He was bent over again, the trousers he was wearing, a weird type of material Anna had never seen before, clinging to him and accentuating his long legs. Anna thought that John would probably not look too different in such a pair of trousers himself.

'Tea?' Terry said as he offered her a small cup, made out of some material Anna had never seen before.

'Thank you,' Anna took the drink from him, Terry laying a sheet out on the back of the van and gesturing for Anna to sit.

'So, where are you from?'

'Yorkshire,' Anna replied, sipping on the tea and finding it to be quite agreeable. 'And yourself?'

'Matlock, Derbyshire.'

'Ooh Derbyshire. I love it when the family decide to holiday there. It's such a lovely part of the country.'

'Well, I like it,' Terry smiled. 'May I ask you your name?'

'Of course, it's Anna.'

'Well, it's lovely to meet you Anna.' Terry then finished his drink in one gulp, flicking the remnants of his cup on the gravel beneath his feet. 'What do you do for a living. You know what I do, so thought it was only fair to ask. Do you attend these exhibitions as a job?'

Before she had a chance to answer the question, Anna could feel herself slowly drifting into unconsciousness. It was as if she was sinking, floating away. Then suddenly, darkness. Sitting up, she soon became aware she was in her bedroom, their bedroom. It was the middle of the night. She looked back over her shoulder. John was stirring, reaching his hand across to the empty space Anna had left behind by sitting up. His eyes opened, he looked up to her before frowning.

'Anna, what is it my love?'

'Nothing, I'm fine,' Anna replied, lying back down. 'Just had the strangest of dreams.'

'Do you want to talk about?' John offered through a yawn.

'No,' Anna said conclusively, John wrapping his arm around Anna's waist and settling back down. Silence fell over the room, until Anna could stand it no longer.

'John, have you ever ridden a horse?'

'I'm sorry?'

'Or worked as a stone mason.'

'Not that I can recall.'

'What about worked in a factory?'

'Anna, you know I have been in service since...'

'Known someone called Barnser?'

'This is ridiculous.'

'Do you have plans in the future to become an electrical contractor?'

John turned on the light beside him then, sitting up after he had done so. 'Anna, what is this?'

'My dream. I met all these men that looked like you, but they weren't you. They had different names, different occupations, different accents. But they all had your face.'

'Don't tell all the women at work about such dreams, my darling,' John advised as he turned the light off once more, settling back down into bed.

'Oh really, Mr Bates,' Anna replied in that lilt that she knew her husband loved. 'And why is that?'

'They might get jealous.'


End file.
